Went on a road trip, brought back an old hotrodded 32 chassis.

Found this on CL down in Boise, ID last weekend. There was a thread started to see if anyone could ID the car right after it was listed but did not get much response. Story I got was the owner has had it for 28 years and now street rodding it. They pulled the body and grill off and sold the rest. Last licensed in Minnesota 1962!!! No other know history about it.

So I decided I need it. I call and make the deal, drive down and get it this past weekend. Boise is about 425 miles one way from me, but the trip went good and only ran into crummy weather a couple times.

Anyways, here it is. Can anyone ID this car? Looks like it is mostly in primer, maybe never finished? I see nothing on this thing dated past the mid 50's except maybe the headlights and gauges. Whoever did the work did an excellent job at fabrication and sheet metal work. Look at the fenders alone. Looks all hammer welded. Rear of the frame is kicked up and has a 40ish rear cross member. Rear end is a Lincoln with a Columbia leg...looks to be a 1937-1940 Columbia. Still has the lines that go a cable operated vacuum box on the firewall. Front end is a heavy axle with split wishbones and juice brakes. I have no idea what the steering box is...Says Gemmer on it and appears to be a cross steer box turned to do side steer. Steering wheel is 1951 Chrysler. Tranny is a 39 Ford. No idea what engine was in it, guy said he thought it was a SBC and the firewall shows signs of that but who knows. The front crossmember has had the top outside areas notched down for mounts. Again all very nicely done, nothing cut up or scabbed together. All four fenders have been bobbed and have had lips made to match the rest of the fenders. This was someones pride and joy, just just a cut up jalopy. Note the dropped V8 headlight bar...I'll post pics of the seat later, it too is a mystery as to what it is.


Anyways, I have no idea what I'm going to do with it. I may part it out, I may keep it...who knows. Probably gonna sell the Columbia but the rest is unknown. The chassis would be AWESOME to build a 50's style little sport roadster!!! This is the real deal, done back then. Too bad the car is getting parted out

Driving down:










Hers the chassis.

 

Here was the car before tear down

 

Great score Chris! You always find the cool stuff.

-George

 

It was a real shame to tear that apart,but its not mine.

 

Congratulations Chris,,but does it rain and snow there all the time? HRP

 

That could have been one hell of a good looking car if someone had got their hands on it and built back to the fully finished version of the original builders's vision for it.

It's a good thing I don't have a big pocket full of money today or I'd have my wife beating me alongside the head for taking on another project.

 

Funky old hot rods get no respect. I can't imagine how many cool ones were torn apart and split up over the last 20 years. Sometimes people do it to build a "real" nostalgia car. Cool score Chris!

 

Great find Chris. What's the plan for it?

 

I wouldn't think it took you too long to "decide" you needed that.
Great score!

 

I see the Columbia, but what are those fenders? Certainly not '32 Ford. I really like the brake lines flying all over the place from the cylinders. Builder must not have had a bender of any kind. Overall, a nice find - we all know you'll do right by it.

 

What's the steering wheel originally off of?

 

think a saw that car in a different thread

 

Yup I heard of this one last week. This one came out of Kenny's Rod Shop. Customer car and all he wanted was the body. It will be having a new frame and complete build. I make it down there occasionally and will post updates if I can.

 

"Steering wheel is 1951 Chrysler."

Cool score Chris, the tranny any good??

 

Cool man, how was the fuel mileage with that 460 F250?

 

It's still a piece of history. If it were mine I would keep it together. Throw a A body on it and drive it, maybe keep my eye out for a 32 body. cool score dude.

 

Lots of cool details!!! I love dual mounted MC's mounted on the firewall. Let's put my 5w on it and find the history!

 

So find another body and put it back together in the same style.

Use an A coupe body if you have to.

 

Yeah, it looks new inside. I'm really glad of that, because honestly that's why I bought it...I needed a good 39 trans and saw enough other good stuff to deem buying it.

 

Eh, cost me a little but thats the cost of owning a truck built to tow I love that thing...I had the exact same thing but a power stroke...got better milage but upkeep was a shit load more. I sold that Power stroke for 8k and went and bought this one for 2800.00. I can't afford a Cummins and this truck is paid for...so taking a little more in fuel is no huge deal.

 

Yeah, if I had a 28-29 roadster I'd be building a mid 50's "sport roadster". You know, low level stance, nerf bars, track nose...this chassis looks like it was made for that! But I don't have an A roadster. And finding a 32 body is just not gonna happen. If I'm gonna spend serious $$$ for a coupe body, it's gonna be a 33-34. Like I said I dunno what will happen with the chassis. I would LOVE for it to be built to what it once was.

 

They are 32 fenders, just bobbed/modified.

 

Man that sounds cool

If I didn't just bust my wrist, we would be talking.

 

Here is the seat. Yep, the guy didn't even want that. Can anyone ID what it came from? It is a real seat, nothing home made. Even has the tracks on the bottom. It's very narrow...roughly 3.75' wide

 

Great find Chris!

 

This qoute is from the original post:

"Anyways, I have no idea what I'm going to do with it. I may part it out, I may keep it...who knows. Probably gonna sell the Columbia but the rest is unknown. The chassis would be AWESOME to build a 50's style little sport roadster!!! This is the real deal, done back then. Too bad the car is getting parted out "

 

I would say the steering box is Chrysler like the steering wheel because my '53 Dodge also has a Gremmer cross steer box.

I would kill for a chance at that frame man... You always find the coolest stuff!!!

 

nice
Hope you got him down off that crazy askin price

 

I like the rear upper shock mounts. They look like they were early hot rod parts that clamp around the rear cross member. From the pictures they look too good for home made. Never seen that before.

 

Hi Chris; I can't make out the mods to the front fender shelves where they mount to the top of the frame rails. Is the front of the frame Z'd at the firewall, or have the fenders been raised up higher than the rail tops?

That car is so unusual...

Lots of work went into that "mutt"; such a shame to see it maybe get lost forever. I was thinking it could be recreated if someone had the balls.

one more question on the 4 fenders; Do you think a car could be built using those 4 fenders, but have the rears back down into the original wheel well? Meaning, still channeled...?